Did you know owning a dog makes your family healthier?

There are so many amazing things about owning a dog. They’re like a best friend that’s always around when you need them. If you’ve got a family, they can help your children to be more social and bring joy the whole family, but that isn’t the only benefit of getting a family pet. A lot of people don’t realize it but having a dog is actually great for your health as well. If you’re on the fence about whether you should get a pet or not, these are just some of the ways that it would make you a lot healthier.

Exercise

A lack of exercise is one of the biggest health problems that is facing the world right now. Obesity levels are going up rapidly and it doesn’t seem like the problem is going away anytime soon. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you make sure your family is getting regular exercise. It’s difficult for parents to encourage their children to exercise, especially when they’re battling against the likes of computers and phones that keep them inside. If you’re trying to get them to go for a run or a bike ride, it seems too much like hard work for them and they won’t be likely to keep it up.

You need to find a way to get them to exercise without even realizing it. The perfect way to do that is to get a dog. Getting outside to walk the dog a couple of times a day is the most obvious way that you’ll be getting more exercise but it goes beyond that. Having more physical activity in your daily routine encourages you to be more active generally. Studies show that people who own dogs tend to do a lot more exercise in general, in fact, most of them did 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. That’s significantly more exercise than most non-dog owners do.

Mental Health

Another of the big health problems we face right now is an epidemic in mental health problems. Whether they’re increasing or we’re just getting better at diagnosing them, more and more people are in need treatment. There are plenty of medical treatments like anti-depressants and talking therapies that help people with mental health issues but it’s also important to get to the root cause of these issues. Feelings of isolation and loneliness can easily lead to problems with depression but you can avoid that by getting a puppy from Puppy Joy.

The level of companionship that comes with owning a dog can stop you from feeling lonely and coming home to your best friend can really cheer you up at the end of the day. Taking the dog out for a walk is also a good way of meeting people so if you’re feeling socially isolated, being a pet owner can help you to increase your circle of friends and form relationships that will stop you from getting lonely. All of this is backed up by research; studies that asked people questions about their happiness levels and mental wellbeing found that dog owners were much happier on average than people that didn’t have dogs.

Researchers have long suggested that pets are good for us, even offering health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and heart rate, reducing the stress hormone cortisol, and boosting levels of the feel-good hormone, serotonin. It stands to reason, then, that finding four-legged friends in Alzheimer’s and dementia communities is becoming commonplace. In fact, some facilities are hiring pet coordinators to aid in the care of residents’ pets.

Allergies

The number of people with allergies has been on the increase over the last couple of decades and researchers think that they know why. When you’re young, your immune system is essentially in its training stage. By introducing low levels of bacteria to it at this stage, your immune system builds itself up. However, so many parents are focused on getting rid of bacteria and cleaning companies don’t help because their adverts are all based on the dangers of bacteria. While you’re cleaning away the bad bacteria, you also clean away the good bacteria that helps build up an immune system. When people are living in an environment that is too clean, they often develop allergies. As a parent, you can stop this from happening by making sure that you don’t go overboard with cleaning, but having a dog can help as well. Dogs are always picking up bacteria from outdoors and bringing into the house where they spread it around. Your kids are exposed to that bacteria and it helps them to avoid developing allergies.

Identify And Fight Diseases

You might have heard that dogs can smell cancer. It sounds like one of those urban myths but it’s actually true. Cancerous cells give out waste that a dog’s sensitive nose can pick up on. That doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically let you know that you’re sick, but you may notice changes in their behavior. Dogs form a strong emotional attachment to you so they’ll try to make it known if they are worried about your health. As well as being able to identify cancers, service dogs have also been known to help people with brain injuries or conditions like autism. They help to encourage independence and can offer emotional support to people that sometimes struggle to connect with others.

For those considering getting a service dog here is aguide that breaks down the total costs of obtaining a service dog. This guide also provides a list of several alternative methods for financing these costs. There is also a list of accredited organizations included who provide complete or partial financial assistance for several different causes and individuals in need.

Studies have also shown that people with Alzheimer’s benefit from having a dog around. They tend to be less prone to flare-ups and it helps them to relax and stay calm and reduce aggression.

Those are just some of the amazing ways that dogs can improve your health, but there are some downsides as well. Over 86,000 people every single year of experience falls as a direct result of their pets, 88 percent of those falls are caused by dogs. If you’re getting older, a fall like that could cause some serious injuries or health problems. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a dog. It’s the perfect way to bring your family together, help your children to be more social and active, and boost their immune systems. It’s also a good way to monitor your own health as you get older. Owning a dog improves your health in so many ways and, as long as you’re careful around them, the risks aren’t too much of a problem.

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